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Choosing a Furnace System
Don't Burn Up Profits
As cold as it gets outside, you’ll heat
up the productivity indoors. Ruud has the most comprehensive, feature-loaded
lineup in the heating industry. Our super-efficient technology provides
savings on both gas and electricity. Whatever Ruud heating option you choose,
you can depend energy-saving, cost-effective, reliable performance for
years to come.
What do Good Furnaces Have in Common?
The best furnaces are efficient. They keep
a business warm and comfortable. They provide steady, reliable performance
year after year. And they are quiet, long-lasting and low in service frequency
and cost.
Which Furnaces are Energy Efficient?
When a furnace loses or wastes heat, it
requires more energy to keep your business warm. Some furnaces lose heat
through the walls of the furnace cabinet. Energy-efficient furnaces like
Ruud’s full line of state-of-the-art models significantly reduce this loss
with a blanket of insulation that lines the inside of the cabinet walls.
When a gas furnace is not in operation,
most send a steady, wasteful draft of warm household air traveling up the
venting system and out the roof. The Ruud Criterion® Line – with AFUE
ratings of 78% and better – features an induced-draft blower that works
in conjunction with a hot surface ignition system to pull hot gases through
the heat exchanger at a constant and controlled rate of flow. As the burner
cycles off, the draft blower stops, keeping the heating air in the system.
Pilot lights also can be wasteful. The
electric ignition in many of Ruud’s furnaces eliminates the need for a
constantly burning pilot. This feature alone gives up to 6% higher efficiency.
And in combination with an induced-draft blower, can improve furnace efficiencies
by over 20%.
Most gas furnaces vent combustion by-products
and gases by allowing the warm air to rise naturally. However, on occasion,
proper venting of combustion by-products may be restricted due to blockage,
deterioration of venting systems, malfunctions or other causes.
The Ruud induced-draft blower maintains
a constant draft through the heat exchanger, which assures proper venting
of the furnace combustion chamber. Ruud also features a pressure switch
which continuously monitors venting; and in the event it senses a vent
flow restriction, it will automatically shut down your heating system for
your safety.
The most efficient furnaces tap the energy
of the hot vent gases – which can reach temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit,
and more. The Ruud 90 Plus® gas furnace does this by routing the hot
gases through a secondary heat exchanger. This step captures the otherwise
wasted heat—using it to preheat the household air—and delivers AFUE ratings
up to 94.5%
A high-efficiency furnace generally wears
a higher price tag, but it can make up the difference by reducing operating
costs over the long run. And with today’s consumer interest in efficiency,
such equipment enhances the bottom line of your business.
Are some furnaces better than others?
Definitely. Features to look for include
heat exchangers that resist corrosion, direct-drive blower units, induced
draft blowers, pressure switches, and an insulated blower compartment,
which helps minimize operating noise.
You also should ask your dealer if the
manufacturer of the brand you’re considering quality-checks and tests every
unit before it leaves the plant.
And be sure to check out the terms of the
Limited Warranty. Quality manufacturers put a convincing warranty behind
their work. Ruud furnaces, which include all the features described here,
offer one of the very best. Even the primary and secondary heat exchangers
in the Ruud 90 PLUS are protected by a Limited Lifetime Heat Exchanger
Warranty.
What should I look for in a dealer?
Reliability. Look for a dealer you see
in your community. You want one who’s close by to provide you faster, more
convenient service.
He should offer a recognized name brand.
And he should have a well-stocked inventory of replacement parts. You wouldn’t
want to sit out a mid-summer heat wave waiting for a simple repair!
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